S+EWARDSHIP
What Does W
hat comes to mind when you hear the word “stewardship”? Do you think of it as just another way to talk about money? Do you quickly dismiss it as a notion that has nothing to do with being Catholic? Stewardship is actually a concept that is Scripturally based and is vital to our life as Catholics. God tells us, in the very first book of the Old Testament, “Be fertile and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and all the living things that move on the earth” (Gen 1:28). What does that mean to us today? It simply means that God is telling us, “This is yours, so take care of it.” One of the first things God tells us to do is to be good stewards of the gifts He has entrusted to us! The Old Testament is not the only place where we can find references to stewardship. Indeed, of the 36 parables
in the New Testament, more than half of them deal with time, talent, possessions, or money. Therefore, if Jesus spoke of stewardship that much, it should be a very important part of our lives! As Catholics, we refer to the three facets of stewardship as “time, talent, and treasure.” Although these are three concrete ways to express and measure stewardship, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops tells us that stewardship is part of discipleship. Stewardship is a way of responding to God’s call in every aspect of our lives. The Scriptures and Church traditions teach us one important point that cannot be overstated — that stewardship is primarily based on our need to give in gratitude, not on the Church’s need to receive. Of course, both the Catholic Church and our particular parish will always need money. However, we are not asked to give simply
Mean?
to defray costs and fund charitable programs. We are instead asked to remember our need to gratefully return a portion of our time, talent, and treasure to God, recognizing all that He has given to us. It is important to remember that stewardship is a way of life, and not a program. True Catholic stewardship involves an ongoing call to live as followers of Christ. It takes time to find and define personal goals. You can begin by examining your commitments to the parish. How do you live your faith in your daily life with your family and friends? How much time do you spend in daily prayer, going to Mass, or being involved in parish ministries and activities? What percentage of your income continued on back cover
¿Qué Significa CONTRIBUCIÓN? ¿Q
ué le viene a la mente cuando escuchas la palabra “contribución”? ¿Lo considera como una forma más de pedir dinero? ¿Lo descarta rápidamente como una noción que no tiene nada que ver con ser católico? La contribución es en realidad un concepto que se basa en las Escrituras y es vital para nuestra vida como católicos. Dios nos dice, en el primer libro del Antiguo Testamento, “Sean fecundos y multiplíquense. Llenen la tierra y sométanla. Domina los peces del mar, las aves del cielo y todos los seres vivientes que se mueven sobre la tierra” (Gen 1, 28).
¿Qué significa eso para nosotros hoy? Simplemente significa que Dios nos está diciendo: «Esto es tuyo, así que cuídalo». ¡Una de las primeras cosas que Dios nos dice que hagamos es que seamos buenos administradores de los dones que nos ha confiado! El Antiguo Testamento no es el único lugar donde podemos encontrar referencias a la contribución. De hecho, de las 36 parábolas del Nuevo Testamento, más de la mitad se refieren al tiempo, el talento, las posesiones o el dinero. Por lo tanto, si Jesús habló tanto de la contribución, ¡debería ser una parte muy
importante de nuestras vidas! Como Católicos, nos referimos a las tres facetas de la contribución como “tiempo, talento y tesoro”. Aunque estas son tres formas concretas de expresar y medir la contribución, la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos nos dice que la contribución es parte del discipulado. La contribución es una forma de responder al llamado de Dios en todos los aspectos de nuestra vida. Las Escrituras y las tradiciones de la Iglesia nos enseñan una punto importante que no se puede exagerar — que la contribución continúa en la contraportada
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